Post navigation

Congrats to those who made the playoffs. However, every savvy fantasy player knows that the real season begins now. Just because you made it past Week 13, doesn’t mean your team can’t get help from the waiver wire. Target these players for depth or an added boost down the stretch.

DeVante Parker (Ownership: 21.1%)

If you didn’t take my advice about DeVante Parker last week, here it is again. After accumulating 71 percent of Tannehill’s passing yardage and a score against a porous Ravens secondary, Parker is now a key asset in this Miami offense. Parker now has 143 yards and two touchdowns in two weeks. He’ll look to keep the streak going against a struggling Giants defense that just let up 270 yards to Jets’ receivers.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Ownership: 15.2%)

After a nine game absence, ASJ finally returned to the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first action back, Seferian-Jenkins caught three balls for 31 yards and saw the second most targets on the team behind Mike Evans. Most importantly, the second-year tight end emerged from the game unscathed and now gets a favorable matchup against divisional foe, New Orleans. The Saints have the worst pass defense in the NFL and frankly can’t stop anyone. ASJ is a good play in week 14 for anyone who may be in need of tight end help.

Bilal Powell (Ownership: 13.0%)

Powell shined and scored his first touchdown of the season in a showdown to see which team is the best in New York. Powell is still getting limited touches but is a significant factor in the receiving game. Whenever the Jets decide to take to the air, Powell replaces Ivory as the primary runner in the backfield. Powell has immediate value in PPR leagues but is worthy of a roster spot in standard leagues as well.

James White (Ownership: 26.5%)

Rolling with a New England running back is always dangerous. However, White showed in week 13 why every fantasy owner should at least roll the dice on him. White rushed twice for only four yards but he also caught a career high 10 passes for 115 yards and a score. As the Patriots continue to scurry to find more receiving options for Brady, White is making a name for himself in the Dion Lewis role. White is certainly a boom or bust candidate but if you can stomach the risk, the reward just might lead you to a fantasy championship.

Tyler Eifert missed practice all week and is NOT expected to suit up against Cleveland

Tyler Eifert – OUT: Eifert did not practice all week and is very doubtful this week against the Cleveland Browns. Tyler Kroft will get the start.

Rob Gronowski – OUT: New England Patriots Tight End will not play against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Heath Miller – Doubtful: Miller is VERY unlikely to play against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. Jesse James is expected to get the start.

Maxx Williams – OUT: Will not play against the Miami Dolphins. Crockett Gilmore will be the starter and Nick Boyle will be the backup.

Zach Miller – Miller is listed as questionable this week. He practiced on a limited basis, but should play against the San Francisco 49ers. If he plays, his upside is capped by the return of Matellus Bennett.

Devonta Freeman – Freeman is expected to return this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Start him with confidence.

Ryan Mathews – OUT: Mathews will not play this week against the New England Patriots, Demarco Murray and Darren Sproles will be in the backfield.

Carlos Hyde – OUT: Hyde will not play this week against the Chicago Bears.

Charcandrick West – West will play against the Oakland Raiders. Expect him to split carries with Spencer Ware.

Allen Hurns – OUT: Hurns will not play against the Tennessee Titans Sunday. Expect Julius Thomas and Allen Robinson to get more looks from Blake Bortles.

Michael Floyd – Floyd is questionable this week and was limited in practice, but should start against the Rams.

Danny Amendola – Amendola is questionable this week and should play against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fantasy owners should have a backup plan just in case.

DeAndre Hopkins – It’s all systems go for Hopkins who will play against the Buffalo Bills this week.

Leonard Hankerson – OUT: Hankerson was placed on IR and is done for the year. Jacob Tamme will become the number one tight end and should be owned by fantasy owners in Hankerson’s absence.

Marquess Wilson – OUT: Wilson will not play against the 49ers as he deals with a foot injury, expect Alshon Jeffrey to be targeted even more by Cutler.

Willie Snead – OUT: Snead will not play this week against the Carolina Panthers. Expect him to return within the next week or so.

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is not only expected to play, but put up top fantasy numbers this week against a beatable Colts secondary.

Sam Bradford – Bradford is expected to return this week. If he can’t go, Mark Sanchez will lead the Eagles stumbling offense against the Patriots.

Start – Chris Ivory: Battle of New York, or should I say, Battle of mediocrity? Thirteen weeks into the season and both East Rutherford inhabitants are driving NY fanatics crazy while flirting with .500. Although the Giants (5 – 6) have won the last five games in this series, the Jets (6 – 5) are two point favorites. Ivory is also my favorite running back to make a difference in the game come Sunday. Ivory has quietly put together a top-5 fantasy running back campaign. Now he gets the Giants’ defense that is allowing over 100 rush yards per game. Put your money on Ivory as a RB1 this week.

Start – CJ Anderson: It only took Anderson 12 weeks but he finally looked like the first round fantasy draft pick that everyone projected he’d be. Last Sunday, Anderson carried the ball 15 times for 113 yards and two scores, including the game winning score to down the previously undefeated Pats. Head Coach Gary Kubiak already announced that Ronnie Hillman will remain the starter but against the Chargers, there should be some meat left on the bone for Anderson to feast. The Bolts are giving up 4.97 yards per carry, most in the league. Plug Anderson in as your flex and hope he rips off a long one for you.

Start – Matt Forte: It’s unfortunate that Forte returned from injury to a full timeshare within the backfield, but let’s not forget who the top dog is in Chicago. Forte will get first crack at the 49ers dreadful defense. The 49ers come in to Soldier Field with the second worst rush defense in the NFL. Forte is a solid RB2 even within a timeshare with the powerful Langford.

SIT – Frank Gore: The touches are there, the results are not. Gore is averaring 1.6 yards per a carry over the course of the last two weeks. Whatever the problem is with Gore, it won’t be resolved during Week 13. The Colts are traveling to play the number one run defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The way you beat the Steelers is through the air and Matt Hasselbeck is still undefeated as a starter, so trust the ball will be with him. Gore’s schedule should get easier in the fantasy playoffs, but leave him on the bench for Week 13.

This Thursday will be a rematch of the (7-4) Green Bay Packers and the (4-7) Detroit Lions. In the last game between these division rivals, the Lions got the best of Green Bay in a close matchup which is destined to repeat itself. Since then, the Lions have gone on a roll, handedly beating the Eagles on Thanksgiving while Green Bay has wet the bed lately and has gone on a downward spiral. As the Lions fight for what earlier in the year seemed like an improbable playoff spot, Green Bay is hoping to get back on track after losing its first place position in the NFC North to the Vikings. Here are the players who should start and sit in this game:

Start – Matthew Stafford: Stafford seems to have gotten his mojo back since his sluggish start to the season. His 5 TD, 337 yard performance last week is a dream for any fantasy owner. With so many QBs not having great years, Stafford is a definite start for this week. He’s currently averaging a 90 QBR and 65% completion percentage. While indoors at home, Stafford is sure to light up the scoreboard in his attempt to will his team into playoff contention.

Start – Calvin Johnson: On Thanksgiving day, Calvin Johnson reminded people why he’s still considered the best wideout in the league. He pulled in 3 touchdowns on 95 yards. His connection with Stafford is great and should feature heavily in the indoor stadium in Detroit. Green Bay currently ranks 18th in passing defense, giving up 249 yards per game. Johnson and Stafford will be looking to surpass this statistic.

Sit – James Stark: Stark has only had one good game this season and that was against the Chargers in October. The Packers just don’t seem to be clicking lately. Against a Lions defense hungry for a victory, Starks shouldn’t start for fantasy owners, especially with Eddie Lacy taking a majority of the snaps.

David Johnson can help fantasy owners carry the load into the playoffs

Last four games of the regular season: the home stretch for football franchises and fantasy players alike. With a slew of injuries hitting more players, stay on top of your waiver wire to make an impact in the final few matchups for your season.

David Johnson (Ownership 22.7%)

The Cardinals didn’t lose just one, but TWO running backs in a tough stint with the San Francisco 49ers. Starter Chris Johnson was diagnosed with a fractured tibia in his left leg and handcuff, Andre Ellington, is dealing with turf toe to the same foot that sidelined him last season. David Johnson has been used sparingly all season but was able to find the endzone twice over the past two weeks. Now with an uptick in usage, Johnson is definitely worthy of a roster spot in every league and at least flex consideration for the rest of the season.

DeVante Parker (Ownership 4.8%)

DeVante Parker had four catches for 49 yards entering week 12: on Sunday he caught another four balls for 80 yards and a score. The career day exemplified why Miami used a first round pick on the speedy receiver. The scary thing is, Parker is just getting started. Cracked ribs to fellow wideout, Rishard Matthews, opens the door to more playing time for Parker. The Dolphins defense is also in a slump, once again, and will more than likely be playing from behind just like in Sunday’s game against the Jets. Fortunately for the Fins, three of their final four matchups to close the season are against teams that rank in the bottom half of pass defense in terms of limiting receivers. Grab the rookie and watch Parker make a splash for you in the home stretch of the season.

Scott Chandler (Ownership 2.0%)

Gronkowski is the latest addition to the injury report for weapons in Tom Brady’s arsenal. Fortunately for the future Hall of Famer, the MRI revealed that his knee injury is just a bruise and nothing more. We all know that Tom Brady will be Tom Brady and will make use of the receivers at his disposal. That means it is Scott Chandler’s time to shine. Chandler didn’t manage a score against is former team in week 11 but does have two touchdowns in three games and is now the starting tight end in the Patriots offense. If your tight end isn’t performing up to par or just recently got injured (i.e. Jimmy Graham) you can do a whole lot worse than Scott Chandler in your lineup.

Alfred Morris (Ownership 47.1%)

Man what an up and down year it has been for Alfred Morris. After posting zero points and leaving the game against the Panthers due to injury, the four-year back returned to lead the Redskins back with 23 carries and 90 total yards from scrimmage. Yes, I know. Matt Jones is the younger more explosive back and the two both limit each other’s upside. However, whether you like it or not, something special is swirling around Washington and the team seems reenergized. The Redskins host divisional foe Dallas Cowboys in week 13 and we all know how that team is trending. Morris can very well receive a healthy dosage of touches in the game and be a major factor for week 13 folks looking to squeak into the playoffs.

Brandon LaFell has a brutal matchup against Denver, but Brady has very few choices left

Week 12 has huge playoff implications in the NFL. With the Lions beating the Eagles and Bears beating the Packers on Thanksgiving, for some teams there is still hope. For fantasy owners, this could mean huge points as players attempt to put their teams ahead in the race. Accordingly, here is a list of wide receivers who should start and sit for the week.

Start – Brandon LaFell With Danny Amendola scheduled to miss Sunday and Julian Edelman having a broke foot, LaFell has a great opportunity to make an impact for the Patriots. QB Tom Brady has always had a thing against Peyton Manning. And with the Pats taking on the Broncos this week (even if it is without Manning in the lineup), Brady is going to want to win this game. That means he’ll need options outside of Gronk to take on a good Denver defense. LaFell has been getting more yards as the weeks go on, and could have a repeat of his performance against the Redskins earlier where he pulled in 102 yards for the game.

Start – Martavis Bryant: With Big Ben back, Bryant should have a productive game. Although the Steelers are taking on the Legion of Boom in Seattle, the Seahawks have been anything but intimidating this season. In his last game against the Browns, Bryant racked up 178 yards and a touchdown. In an offense that lost its star running back LeVeon Bell, Martavis should be the go-to target for Roethlisberger to challenge Seattle’s secondary.

Start – Desean Jackson: Jackson hasn’t played much this season after tearing his hamstring, but is slowly working his way back into more plays in the Redskins offense. This week, Washington has a chance to go into first place in the NFC East by beating the Giants. QB Kirk Cousins will try to prove that he is the ultimate answer over RGIII by pulling his squad into the top spot in the division. He needs Jackson to do this. Last week, Desean had 87 yards on 5 receptions, but he was good for 56 yards on just one catch. His big play ability will work good against New York.

START – Doug Martin: The Dougernaut gashed the Eagles defense for 235 yards on 27 carries this past Sunday. Martin would’ve reached the endzone twice if he wasn’t tackled from behind on his longest runs of 53 and 81 yards. Don’t expect the Colts to hold Martin from scoring this week. The Buccaneers are getting healthier and their weapons are back on the field. It’ll be difficult for the Colts’ weak defense to stop anyone in week 12.

Start – Javorious Allen: I told you to go pick him off waivers and hopefully you listened because in his first week as a starter, Allen gets the worst rushing defense in the league. The Cleveland Browns have allowed nearly 20 fantasy points to opposing tailbacks this season. With very limited weapons left in the Ravens arsenal, expect Allen to receive a heavy workload. Allen is firmly supplanted as a RB2 for week 12.

Start – Chris Johnson: Johnson began to teeter off after the week 9 bye week (averaging 61 yards and no scores in last two games). Expect CJ2K to get back on track against the lowly San Francisco 49ers. Rawls trampled the 49ers defense for 209 yards and two scores just the week before. It’s not hard to believe Johnson will be able to do a fraction of that damage and put together a viable fantasy performance.

SIT – Lamar Miller: Miller failed to reach double-digit carries for the second time in four games. Miller also failed to eclipse 44 yards for the fourth time in six games. Miller is trending slightly downward and a week 12 matchup against the stingy Jets run defense doesn’t help either. Back in week four, Miller had seven totes for 26 yards against the Jets. Miller will surely have more success than that, but temper your expectations heading into this one.

The Detroit Lions are taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in a showdown between two teams clawing for a chance to save their seasons. While the Eagles are only 1 game out of first place in the dismal NFC East, the Lions have all but eliminated themselves from postseason play with a 3-7 record. Despite the outlook on their respective seasons, this matchup should prove entertaining. For fantasy owners, here are a few players from these teams that should start and sit.

Start – Matthew Stafford: Stafford seems to be getting himself back on track after a terrible start to the season for his squad. Stafford hasn’t really had a horrible season. He’s averaging well over 200 yards on about 35 pass attempts a game. The problem is that he has had multiple games with multiple interceptions. But, a team winning doesn’t matter in fantasy, only a player’s production numbers. That is good for fantasy owners in a year where quarterback play is very unpredictable; just ask Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck owners. Look for Stafford to bring some holiday cheer to the Lions home crowd and put up some good numbers come Thursday.

Start – Theo Riddick: Riddick hasn’t played much of the season. He is the Lions’ third string running back and yet he has managed to become the leading pass catcher of all running backs in the league. Last week against the Raiders, Riddick pulled in 66 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Riddick wont get much in the running attack, but he’s averaging 8.9 yards per carry. And on a team that has players like Calvin Johnson who are often double teamed, Riddick should be wide open for Stafford to rely on.

Sit – Joique Bell: Bell shouldn’t start in any league this season…ever. He’s averaging 2.8 yards per carry on the season. For the entire season to date, he only has 138 yards total in the rushing category. Those numbers wont due for a running back in the NFL and certainly wont cut if for fantasy owners. His Lions teammate Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are much more productive and are the ones who owners should start, not Bell.

OUT – Ryan Mathews: Mathews was inactive last game due to a concussion and will NOT play today against the Lions. Philadelphia’s high-tempo offense also fares better for the passing game than the ground attack. Mathews is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, but he has many games this year where he was held to under 20 yards total.

Barring injury, Buck Allen will be the primary workhorse for the Ravens offense

Another week, another batch of injuries. Week 11 saw a peculiar amount of injuries suffered by tailbacks. Justin Forsett, Charcandrick West, Frank Gore, and Devonta Freeman were the main victims this past week. Do yourself a favor and pick up these backups on waivers to prepare for the fantasy playoffs.

Buck Allen (Ownership 6.2%)

Condolences to the Baltimore Ravens franchise and the team’s fan base. As if an abysmal 2–7 record to start the season wasn’t enough, Justin Forsett and Joe Flacco were both lost in the game due to season-ending injuries. As the absolute only option to generate any offense for the Ravens, Javorious Allen should handle a huge workload going forward. In the absence of Forsett, Allen accumulated 67 rush yards and 48 receiving yards in week 11. Even more enticing, the Ravens face the Browns and the Dolphins in the upcoming weeks, two teams horrendous at stopping the run. Pick up Allen off waivers and ride his coattails into the promise land.

Spencer Ware, KC (Basically Unowned)

Just as Charcandrick West was starting to get on a roll and make a name for himself in the league, he suffers a hamstring injury. West is day-to-day but hamstring injuries can linger, just ask Odell Beckham Jr. Ware stepped in line for West on Sunday and didn’t miss a beat running for 96 yards and 2 TDs on just 11 carries. The Chiefs defense and run game have been absolutely red hot in the past five weeks and a speculative add of Ware couldn’t hurt. Keep in mind, Knile Davis was a healthy scratch for the week 11 bout but he may also return to create depth among the Chiefs backfield.

Ahmad Bradshaw (Ownership 4.0%)

You’ve seen this story before. Ahmad Bradshaw comes back from the fantasy fringes to become relatively unstoppable week after week. Bradshaw was the lead dog for Indy last year averaging 12 points a contest before going out to a season ending injury in week 10. The Colts brought in Frank Gore to take over the reigns in 2015 and he has done a formidable job. However, Gore is on the wrong side of 30 with a lot of mileage on his legs. Furthermore, Gore may have suffered a knee injury with the extent of the injury unknown. If Gore is sidelined, Bradshaw automatically jumps to a RB2 with RB1 upside. Bradshaw is already familiar and comfortable within the offense and will continue to gain more touches even with Gore in the mix.

Tevin Coleman (Ownership 26.1%)

When the number one fantasy running back goes down to injury, you pick up the handcuff off waivers. Freeman is apparently moving along rather quickly in the concussion protocol but don’t be surprised if the league is extra careful with him after the debacle that happened with Case Keenum. Coleman struggled in Freeman’s absence running for only 48 yards on 17 carries. However, the rookie was praised in the preseason for his speed and if given the opportunity, can be a great addition to a roster. Add Coleman to a bench spot now and wait to see what the rookie can do when his number is called upon once again.

Post navigation

The Kansas City Chiefs are on an eleven game winning streak and are playing with swagger. The team finished the season 11-5 and shut out the Houston Texans last weekend in the wildcard game 30-0. The Chiefs have enjoyed a … Continue reading →

The road to Super Bowl 50 begins this weekend and it may seem like there is no clear-cut favorite to win it all. The quarterback for the Broncos finally returned, Cam Newton and the Panthers have played on another level … Continue reading →

Drew Brees – Questionable: Drew Brees insists he will play against the Jaguars even with a torn plantar fascia. The reality is, fantasy owners need to have a backup ready to roll. Brian Hoyer – Questionable: Hoyer has been limited all week … Continue reading →